Shomer
by TonksIsMyHero
Summary: A fourteen-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl is found beaten and raped in a classroom. Can the detectives figure out who did it - and protect her family from a killer? COMPLETE!
1. Red Sea

Author's Note: All locations are purely from my imagination. Any characters that are not regulars on "Law and Order: SVU" are from my imagination. So don't steal them or my trusty muse, Luminita, will kick your ass.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with "Law and Order: SVU". Wouldn't it be cool if I did, though?

**CHAPTER ONE**

"This way. Eighth-grader found unconscious in a classroom. We revived her and she's fine, but we suspected sexual trauma when she couldn't find her underwear. That's when we called you."

The robust policeman led the way down the hallways of Avodah Day School. Inside one of the classrooms, a young girl sat staring blankly on top of a desk. Special Victims Unit detective Olivia Benson walked up to her.

"Rivky Kohler?" she asked. The girl nodded, not looking up. "Rivky, my name is Olivia Benson. I'm a police officer with the Special Victims Unit. Can you tell me what happened?"

Ricky lifted her face just slightly. Her face was splotchy from crying, but no tears remained in her eyes. When she remained silent, Olivia looked to her partner, Elliot Stabler. He pulled up a chair and sat across from Rivky.

"Rivky," he said gently. "No one's going to hurt you anymore. If you can tell us what happened, we can help you."

"I can't say," said Rivky in a shuddery voice. "He said he would kill me and my family."

"If we know who it was, we can make sure he won't get to you, okay?"

Rivky finally looked right into Elliot's eyes. He was struck by how childlike she looked. She was young, actually – only fourteen – but she had a round face and sweet, wide hazel eyes. This girl was just a baby, and to go through what she did…well, he wouldn't have wished it on his worst enemy.

"Please don't make me say who it was," she begged. "I can't. I have sisters and I have to protect them."

Elliot sighed. "Okay. Will you tell me how he hurt you, then?"

Rivky hesitated, then leaned and whispered something into Olivia's ear. Olivia nodded and motioned that Elliot should leave. Once he had gone, Rivky took a shuddery breath.

"I came here yesterday after school. I had left my notebook and my father called to see if I could pick it up after dinner because the teachers would be here late…they had a meeting or something. So I came back…" Rivky trailed off.

"What happened then?" Olivia asked.

"The janitor let me in. So…so I went to where I had left it in here and somebody grabbed me."

Olivia looked to make sure they were still alone and kept listening.

"After that, he…he kept hitting me and saying that I deserved it because…"

"Because why?"

"Because I broke Jewish law."

"No one deserves what happened to you. Do you remember anything else?"

"No, not really. I remember feeling something hit me in the head and then I remember the police waking me up here."

Olivia hated to ask the next question, but she knew she had to. "Rivky, do you think you were raped?"

"I think so," said Rivky. "I really hurt…there."

"Okay. Tell you what…why don't you come with me and I'll take you to the doctor's? We'll just check and be sure you're not hurt, okay?"

"Okay."

Olivia put her arm around Rivky and started to lead her out of the classroom. As soon as they reached the door, there was a sudden chattering, both in English and in a guttural tongue Olivia did not recognize. Students and teachers were everywhere. Boys with yarmulkes were carefully separated from the long-skirted girls. John Munch, totally unfazed by the commotion, made his way over to Olivia and Rivky.

"John, what's going on? I thought the school was closed!" Olivia shouted.

"The lower and upper schools are open. They only closed the middle school that Rivky attends. You okay, sweetheart?" Munch asked Rivky. Olivia had never heard him call anyone "sweetheart" before.

"I want to go to the doctor's," said Rivky. Munch nodded.

"Okay, everyone!" he shouted. The crowd quieted. "You need to return to your classes immediately. No one is to come into this building except the police and whoever they feel they need to talk to. Is that understood?"

"What happened?" a boy asked anxiously.

"That's what we're trying to find out. Return to your classes, now."

With that, Munch helped part a way for Olivia and Rivky. Olivia felt a twinge of amusement at the sight…it looked as though he were trying to part the Red Sea.


	2. Don't Tell

**CHAPTER TWO**

When Munch, Olivia, and the terrified Rivky reached the freezing courtyard of the school, they saw Elliot and Fin waiting for them.

"Ricky, Olivia's going to take you to the doctor's now, but we want to go talk to your parents, okay?" said Elliot.

"No – no, please, don't tell," Rivky pleaded.

"We have to, honey, you're under eighteen," said Olivia.

"Don't tell my father about the rape, please? He can't know. He can't…I'd be no good anymore."

Munch tapped Olivia on the shoulder and gave a look that clearly said he would explain what that meant.

"Why don't you go and warm up in the car? I'll be there in just a second," said Olivia.

Elliot went and started the car, blasting the heat for Rivky, and then rejoined the group to hear Munch's explanation.

"Here's the thing…Rivky's family is Orthodox. In Jewish Orthodoxy they have a lot of very strict laws. I mean, you know about the kashrut already, but then there's dressing tzniusly and having to think about Chukas Hagoyim and then especially being shomer."

There was a long pause. Elliot spoke first.

"And for the goys here, that means…"

"Kashrut is eating kosher foods. Tznius is the way that they dress…especially the girls. They have to cover their knees, elbows, and collarbones. Chukas Hagoyim has to do with the way they deal with non-Jews, and shomer is the one that concerns me the most. See, to be shomer means that you don't touch, talk to, and even avoid looking at members of the opposite sex until marriage."

"And if she was raped…" Elliot began.

"Then she feels she broke that law," Munch finished for him. "I think I should talk to her parents. Fin?"

"I'm coming," said Fin.

"I'll talk to the principal and see about this teacher's meeting," said Elliot.

"And I'll take Rivky to the hospital," said Olivia. "See all of you later."

"Call me when she's done with her rape kit," said Elliot.

"I will."


	3. Sore Stomach

**CHAPTER THREE**

Olivia joined Rivky in the car. Despite the heat pouring out of the vents, the car hadn't really warmed up yet and Rivky was shivering.

"Do you want my jacket?" Olivia offered. "I'm warm."

"No, thank you," said Rivky politely.

The ride to the hospital was silent. Olivia turned on the radio and found a classical station. Rivky hummed along to the Vivaldi tune softly.

"We're here," said Olivia as they reached the hospital.

Once inside, the nurse immediately began the humiliating while Olivia talked Rivky through it. She held tight to the girl's hand as she was poked and prodded.

"You can get dressed again, Rivky," said the nurse once they had taken pictures of her many injuries.

Rivky went behind the screen and the nurse took Olivia aside.

"Well, she definitely had sex, and by the vaginal trauma, I'm leaning towards calling it rape. But what's concerning me is the lack of seminal fluid."

"What do you mean?" Olivia asked.

"Well, I didn't want to say anything in front of her, but I think she may have been raped with an object rather than…"

"So we have no idea who it was?"

"We can at least narrow it down to a large man," said the nurse. "The bruising pattern shows big hands and fingers."

Rivky emerged from behind the screen, clutching her side.

"Are you okay, Rivky?" Olivia asked urgently.

"I have a cramp," said Rivky with gritted teeth. "It hurts."

"Is it time for your period?"

"No, I just had it…I think I'm hungry."

Olivia gave her a small smile. "I think we can make a stop on the way home."


	4. Problem Child

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Munch knocked on the door of the apartment where the Kohler family resided.

"Who is it?" a child's voice called.

"It's the police. Can we come in?" Munch responded.

The door, chain still in place, opened. A little girl, no older than seven, with curly hair and an angel's face, stood there. She wore a long skirt and looked just like Rivky. Fin knelt to her level.

"Can we talk to your parents, sweetheart?" he asked.

The girl nodded, closed the door, removed the chain, and let them inside. Munch touched part of the door and kissed his fingers. Fin awkwardly did the same, but apparently didn't do it right because Munch looked as though he were holding back some comment.

"Tateh! The police are here," called the little girl.

"What's your name?" Munch asked her.

"Zippy," she said.

A man came into the little room. He was a formidable man, but looked pale and sickly at the moment. He coughed a bit before greeting the detectives.

"What's this all about?" he asked.

Fin glanced at Munch. "You don't know what happened to your daughter this morning?"

"Something happened to my Devorah?" Mr. Kohler gasped.

"No, to Rivky," said Munch.

Mr. Kohler relaxed at once and his face became one of disdain. "More trouble at school, I assume?"

"Uh, more trouble?" asked Munch.

"Rivky is a troublemaker. Ever since my wife passed away, may she rest in peace, she's been acting out."

"How so?"

Mr. Kohler looked from the detectives to Zippy. "Zipporah, why don't you go and play in your room?"

"Why isn't she in school today?" asked Fin after Zippy left the room.

"She just got over a cold. It's freezing out and I didn't want her to catch it all over again."

"Okay. Let's talk about Rivky now," said Fin.

"Rivky used to be the perfect student. All of her teachers loved her, and she never crossed a fellow student…she'd never even had a detention. But when her mother died, she began to lash out. She stopped doing homework. She's been caught at least five times at school talking to boys. I've caught her many times trying to leave the house dressed untzniusly. She tried to sneak out in jeans once."

"Jeans cover the knees," Fin reasoned.

"Girls wear skirts," said Mr. Kohler firmly.

"Sir, Rivky was attacked last night and wasn't found until this morning," said Munch.

"She what?"

"Where were you last night?"

"Here with Zippy. Rivky went to pick up her notebook from school after dinner. I think that was around…six-thirty, I guess."

"You didn't worry when she didn't come home?"

"I didn't know. I was asleep. I've been very sick and the medicine I take makes me drowsy. I didn't wake up until nine this morning. I thought she'd gone to school without waking me."

Fin looked at Munch significantly. Munch got the message.

"Will you excuse us for a minute?" he asked. Mr. Kohler nodded and retreated into the kitchen.

"You notice he still hasn't asked what exactly happened to Rivky?" said Fin.

"Yeah," said Munch. "He just launched into the problem child routine."

"If wearing jeans makes someone a problem child, then what the hell was I growing up?"

"A demon seed. But some things never change."


	5. Sisterly Love

**CHAPTER FIVE**

When Mr. Kohler returned from the kitchen, he was carrying three glasses of hot tea and a small container of sugar cubes. The three sat down around a coffee table. Fin began the questioning.

"Mr. Kohler, I have to be honest with you, I'm a little confused about your activities last night," he said.

"I don't see why," said Mr. Kohler.

"Well, I don't know how many people can sleep soundly for fourteen hours with a seven-year-old in the next room and a fourteen-year-old out on her own."

"I told you, my medicine makes me very sleepy."

"You never once got up to use the bathroom or get a glass of water or check on Zipporah?" asked Munch.

"No."

"Well, that doesn't sound very responsible," said Fin.

"You have to understand. Things have been very hard since my wife died. I've been very depressed, working longer, I'm always tired…the girls understand."

"I don't."

Munch's cell phone rang. He excused himself to answer it while Mr. Kohler and Fin drank their tea in silence. Munch returned to the lack of conversation.

"Fin, we've got to go. Mr. Kohler, if you can think of anyone who'd want to cause trouble for Rivky, please be sure to let us know, all right?" he said, giving him a card.

"Of course."

Back at the precinct, Olivia was handing a cup of coffee to a young woman who had her back turned to the men.

"There you are!" she said, exasperated. "I thought you'd forgotten how to get here."

"You want us to get here faster? Use your telepathy. Otherwise, trust traffic," retorted Fin.

"Telepathy is reading minds. Teleportation is what you're looking for," said Munch.

"Yeah, well, we all know what you're looking for," said Fin.

"Okay, children, enough. This is Rivky's older sister, Devorah. She called as soon as she heard what happened," said Olivia, gesturing to the woman, who stood up and turned to face the detectives.

Both men had to take a moment to regain their focus. She was one of those women who possessed a quiet, subtle beauty that far outranked any scantily clad celebrity. Her long-sleeved, long-skirted dress and headscarf made her look elegant and sweet. She wore no makeup, but definitely didn't need it.

"My name is Devorah Levinson," she said. "I have some information that I think will help you."


	6. Good Girl

**CHAPTER SIX**

"Okay, Mrs. Levinson, what can you tell us?" asked Munch. Then, as an afterthought, he added to Olivia, "Wait, where's Rivky? We didn't see you at the apartment."

"She's here, she's in the back room," said Olivia.

"Sorry, Mrs. Levinson, please continue," said Munch politely.

"Please, call me Devorah. I…I heard about what happened to Rivky and it's so terrible. But then I heard that you were questioning my father."

"That's not to say we suspect him," said Fin quickly. "It's just that we have to establish alibis for everyone who could have been there last night."

"No, I was going to say I can understand why. I'm sure Rivky told you already."

The detectives looked at each other. "Uh, well, no, she didn't say anything, actually," said Fin.

"Really? I always told her…well. All right, I'll tell, then."

Devorah adjusted her scarf delicately and sipped her coffee primly. She had the grace of a member of the royal family.

"Our father is an unusual man. He's always put so much emphasis on us being proper young ladies…he never had a problem with me. I was too afraid to be anything else," she continued.

"Afraid? What do you mean?"

"One of my father's punishments for breaking a house rule was to hit our hands ten times with a yardstick. After that happened to me twice, I never did it again."

"A yardstick?" said Olivia.

"That was for something simple, like not tidying up after ourselves."

"What about bigger things? Like, say, if you broke a curfew?" said Munch.

"I never broke curfew, so thankfully I never had to go through it. Rivky, on the other hand, stayed out until three in the morning once. She told me to lie for her, and I was going to, but when my father asked me where she was…I just couldn't. I told him she was at a party at a friend's house."

"When was this?"

"Last year, before I was married. She was thirteen. When Rivky came back, we were all waiting for her. My father had insisted that we all stay up and watch as she was punished. I felt terrible for her. She came back in wearing jeans and a sleeveless shirt…her hair was loose and she had on all this makeup…and we could tell she had been drinking."

"What did your dad do?" asked Fin.

"What didn't he do? First, he slapped her across the face, hard. He said it was to smack off the makeup. Then, he kicked both her legs, then he pinched her arms so hard they bruised. He pulled her hair…and then he made her swallow almost half a bar of soap."

"So the punishments went along with the specific rule she broke?"

"Yes. And then he made her sleep in the closet. She couldn't come out until six the next night."

"Devorah, do you think your sister has had sex?" asked Olivia.

"No. She tells me everything and she said she hasn't. But…but she was seeing someone."

"Who?"

"His name is Jason. I don't know his last name. He doesn't go to her school."

"He wasn't Jewish?"

"No. She was so afraid to tell our father, but I told her that she could stay with me and my husband if she wanted to."

"Rivky was going to tell your dad that she was dating a goy?" said Munch.

"A goy who was three years older than her," said Devorah, sighing. "And yes, she was definitely going to tell him. Rivky is a good girl. She's made a few mistakes before but you can't blame her. She's so spirited. All she's ever wanted was to be a normal girl, and our father never allowed her to even have coloring books to express herself. He wanted her to be a perfect housewife, not waste her time being artistic. But she's a good girl. She couldn't lie to him for so long."

"Okay, Devorah. Thank you very much. This really helps us."

"Could I please see Rivky now?"

"Sure," said Olivia. "I'll show you where she is."

Olivia led Devorah to where Rivky was. Fin and Munch looked at each other for a long moment.

"Want to do the honors?" asked Fin.

"Very much," said Munch, making sure his handcuffs were in perfect condition.


	7. Resemblance

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Munch pounded on the door of the apartment. "Mr. Kohler, it's the police. Open up!"

They could hear running water and indistinguishable yelling from inside. Munch knocked yet again, more loudly. No response. Munch stepped back to allow his explosive partner to take part in one of his favorite on-the-case activities: kicking a door in.

They bolted straight for the kitchen, where they froze at the sight that greeted them. Kohler was holding his tiny daughter by the waist, her head under the water overflowing the sink. He pulled her out as soon as they entered. She was sobbing and coughing.

"You put her down right now," said Fin. "Put her down!"

Kohler put Zippy down on the floor. She curled up and kept choking. Kohler put his arms up.

"Daniel Kohler, you are under arrest for child abuse. You have the right to remain silent…" said Munch as he put the cuffs on the religious man.

"Come here, baby," said Fin, gently picking up Zipporah and turning off the water. "I got you. It's okay."

Zippy clung tight to Fin, arms around his neck. The poor thing was positively howling. Fin looked at Kohler being led out by Munch and wished that none of those rights applied to him. He bundled Zipporah up in his coat and followed his partner out the door.

When Kohler was brought in, Elliot hadn't been at the station for more than ten minutes, being briefed by Olivia. He didn't pay much attention until he saw Fin carrying in a sleeping child.

"Who is she?" he asked.

"This is Kohler's youngest daughter, Zipporah. We caught him holding her head under the water."

"What?" Elliot gasped, looking at the little girl. She looked like a cherub.

"No idea why. But apparently, there's a history of abuse with this guy."

Zipporah stirred on Fin's shoulder and turned her head so she was facing his neck. Elliot's eyes widened when he saw the bruise on her face, which stood out in sharp relief against her pale skin.

"Could you take her? I've got to interrogate," said Fin.

Elliot couldn't speak, but he nodded and took Zippy into his arms, very gently, the way he had held his children when they were small enough. Her hair was still wet and even though she was wrapped in Fin's coat, she was still cold. Elliot stroked her soaked curls as Olivia gazed at him in horror.

"Look at that face," said Olivia. "How can anyone look into a face like that and want to cause her pain?"

"The same way they can look into the same face and rape them."

"You think he raped Zippy?"

"Not Zippy. You saw how much she and Rivky resemble each other," said Elliot.


	8. Detached

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

"What were you doing with Zipporah?" asked Fin calmly.

"She was being punished," said Kohler.

"Practically drowning the kid seems pretty strict. What did she do that was so bad?"

"She wet her bed during her nap," said Kohler. He had almost no expression on his face or in his voice, which sickened Fin and Munch.

"So it's okay to dunk her in water until she chokes? When I wet the bed, my parents just changed the sheets," said Munch.

"We hear you've got a history of slapping your girls around," said Fin. "Why don't you tell us about that night Rivky came back from a party?"

"She stumbled into the house, completely drunk, dressed like a stripper. Yes, I yelled at her, but I never touched her. She threw her backpack at me and I pushed her away to keep her from getting to me, but that's all."

"We heard a slightly different story," said Fin. "We only have the minimum facts, mind you, but what we heard was that you pulled her hair, slapped her face, kicked both her legs, pinched both her arms so hard you bruised her, made her swallow a huge amount of soap, this sound familiar?"

Kohler stayed silent.

"We hear you like to create penalties that go along with the bad behavior. So I guess that would mean that if I stayed out too late, you wouldn't let me sleep."

"Or if I ate too much, you wouldn't let me eat," Munch chimed in.

"Yeah…or if I had premarital sex, you'd rape me and beat me and leave me in a classroom."

"That is a ridiculous claim," said Kohler.

"We're waiting on the DNA results from your daughter's rape kit. If they come from the same family, we'll know it was you."

"That can't prove it was me!" Kohler shouted.

"Oh, no? She can't rape herself, Kohler!" Munch raised his voice slightly.

Munch and Fin both stormed out of the room. They joined Cragen, who was watching the interrogation and looking grave.

"How's Zipporah?" asked Fin.

"Elliot took her to the hospital, and then she and Rivky are going to their sister's house," he replied. He turned to Munch. "How are you feeling about this?"

"What, you mean the whole Yids are evil thing? Nothing you don't hear from the average Joe every few days," he replied.

Cragen took a bite of a piece of licorice, which he chewed thoughtfully. Munch spoke up again.

"Look, I'm not so religious. I can separate it."

"Yeah, but if this were a woman, you know Olivia would be offended, if it were a Catholic, Elliot would have to be forcefully restrained…" Cragen trailed off.

"It's not as though I go around with earlocks and a yarmulke. I can remain detached."

"I hope so. Because even I'm having trouble doing that here," said Cragen, and he bit into his licorice as though he wished it were Kohler's head.


	9. Insane

Sorry this took so long…I've had LOTS of rehearsals for "Noises Off" (I'm playing Dotty).   
CHAPTER NINE 

Olivia sat in the living room of the Levinson apartment. The place was very cheery and comfortable. Devorah glided into the room carrying a tea service.

"I hope you don't mind herbal tea," she said. "It's all I have."

"It's fine, of course," said Olivia, taking her cup. "Where are the girls?"

"They're still sleeping. I didn't want to bother them…it's been such a hard night."

Olivia took a thoughtful sip. "Devorah…did your father ever do to you or Rivky what he did to Zippy?"

"Well, not that exactly, but lots of things that were similar. Once, I burned the cooking, so he burned my hand. I still have the scars."

Devorah extended her hand towards Olivia, showing rough pink scars. Olivia flinched.

"Why didn't you ever report him?" Olivia whispered.

"I was told that it would mean we'd be taken away…and I didn't want to risk us all getting split up."

"I understand that."

"Dev?"

A small voice came from the other room. Olivia turned to see Rivky and Zippy standing there in their nightgowns, looking tired. Zippy's bruise was an ugly purple.

"Good morning, Olivia," said Rivky politely.

"Hey, Rivky! Hi, Zippy. How are you feeling?"

"Better," said Rivky.

The girls joined Devorah on the couch and snuggled up to her. It was a charming sight, seeing Devorah act as both sister and mother to the battered children.

"Olivia," said Rivky. "Devorah said that I have to go to your station and say what happened to me."

"Well, yes, that's true…you will have to tell us what you remember in an official statement."

"What about Zipporah?"

"Only if she feels well enough."

"I'll do it," said the little girl. "I'll say what happened."

"Are you sure, sweetheart?"

"Yes. Rivky said that if I tell, Tateh can't hurt me anymore."

Olivia's heart went out to these children. She had always assumed that people who lived under such traditional values could never possibly commit acts such as these, but seeing this now…it was very strange. She wondered how Munch was handling it.

"Why don't you two go and get washed up and dressed and then we can go with Olivia down to the station so you can talk to her, all right?" Devorah suggested.

Zipporah took Rivky's hand and they went back into the bedroom. Devorah turned back to Olivia, her eyes shining with tears and a loose curl falling from her headscarf.

"I wish I'd gotten married earlier," she said. "Then they wouldn't have had to stay there for so long."

"Did your mother know?" asked Olivia.

"No," said Devorah. "He made sure never to do anything if she was home or could see. Sometimes he'd wait an entire day before punishing us for something we'd done the night before. She never knew."

"How did she pass away?"

"She had cancer," said Devorah. "It was very sudden."

"I'm so sorry."

"Thank you. At least she didn't have to see anyone get hurt."

"So your father never hit your mom?"

"No."

There was a pause. Olivia sipped her tea.

"Excuse me for a moment…I'll go check on them."

Devorah left the room just as Olivia's cell phone rang. She picked it up and recognized the number on the caller ID as Elliot's.

"Hey, El, what is it?"

"We got the DNA results back."

"Oh, really? Good. So we can charge Kohler with rape, too."

"No, we can't. It wasn't him who raped her."

"What?"

"There weren't any fluids inside her, remember? But the ME found DNA under Rivky's nails…and they aren't from the same family. My best guess is that it was one of the teachers there at that meeting. We need to get a test from everyone who had contact with her that night."

"Elliot…this is insane."

"Yeah, it is. But isn't it always?"


	10. Hate Crime

**CHAPTER TEN**

After dropping off Rivky, Zippy, and Devorah with Cragen, Olivia hurried over to her partner's desk. Elliot looked at her.

"So?" Olivia prompted.

"So…we don't know who it was, but I think that now we can try it as a hate crime."

"Hate crime?" Olivia repeated. "You just said we don't know who it was. How can it be a hate crime?"

"Because we just looked inside her notebook…the one she had gone to pick up that night. This was written on the inside cover," said Elliot, slapping a photograph down on the desk and looking disgusted.

Olivia picked up the photograph and felt her heart skip a beat. On the inside cover of Rivky's notebook, the words "DYKE KIKE" were scrawled in what looked like permanent marker.

"Is this for real?"

"Well, yeah," Elliot sighed. "As if these girls didn't deal with enough at home, someone's bullying Rivky at school."

"That's some pretty harsh language for a middle-schooler," said Munch, who had come up behind Olivia.

"That's what I was thinking," said Elliot. "But kids these days are growing up fast."

'Yeah, but in a private religious school like that? Half the time the kids aren't even speaking English," said Munch. "But it couldn't have been anyone at the school."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, word choice. 'Kike' is a derogatory term for a Jew. Why would a Jew call another Jew a kike?"

"For the same reason black people call each other niggers," said Fin, joining the group. "It's stupid, but it's like a bonding experience or something. Young girls call each other bitches and whores more often than they use each other's names."

"But still," said Munch. "They're Orthodox. It just doesn't fit. It's like someone Amish committing a hate crime against another Amish person. It just doesn't make sense."

"Where's Huang? He'd know," said Olivia.

She went off to fetch Huang. Elliot gave Munch a Look.

"What?" asked Munch.

"This is driving you crazy, isn't it?" he asked.

"Why, because I'm a Jew?"

"Yeah."

"No, it's driving me crazy because I can't figure out who did it."

"But doesn't it shake your faith a little?"

"Elliot, I'm not like you. It shakes my faith in humanity more than my faith anywhere else."

Olivia returned with Huang. He was holding the photograph, brow wrinkled.

"What's the diagnosis?" asked Fin.

"I'm tempted to say it's a hate crime, but it doesn't make sense to target a young girl like that," said Huang.

"Unless the creep's a pedophile."

"Well, yes, but still…all you're focusing on is the Jewish aspect. There's another half to that note. Whoever wrote it called her a dyke…very offensive term for a lesbian."

"Rivky's not a lesbian, she has a boyfriend," said Olivia. "Devorah said so."

"Still," said Huang. "Look into it. See if there could have been a misunderstanding."


	11. The Perp

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

"Rivky," said Olivia gently as she sat down opposite the scared girl. "We saw what was written in your notebook."

Rivky frowned. "What do you mean?"

"On the inside cover."

"I just wrote my name there. Everything else is notes."

Olivia looked at the photograph in her hand. "Devorah, do you think I could talk to Rivky alone?"

Devorah nodded and gave Rivky's hand a squeeze before leaving. Olivia moved closer to Rivky.

"Rivky, you know I'm here to help you, don't you?"

"Yes," said Rivky. "What's going on?"

"And you know I'm not here to judge?"

"Yes."

"Then I need you to tell me the absolute truth, okay?"

"Okay."

Olivia put the photograph down slowly in front of Rivky. Rivky's eyes got wide and she pulled it closer to herself, staring at it in shock. Then, slowly, a tear fell down her cheek.

"Do you have any idea who would write something like that?"

Rivky didn't answer, but she kept crying.

"Rivky, please, I want to find out who hurt you. Do you know who would say something like that?"

Rivky nodded and took a sharp gasp. "Can I just explain?"

"Sure."

"I had this boyfriend…Jason Harroway. He goes to a school a little while away from me. He's not Jewish and we weren't shomer, so I didn't tell anyone but Dev about him. But see…we did some things, and…"

Rivky trailed off. Olivia leaned forward.

"Rivky, did you have sex with Jason?"

"No! No, I didn't. But we were kissing one day, and I realized that I just didn't like him in that way. And…well, he got really angry with me and he stormed off and we were broken up."

"So maybe he wrote it?"

"Maybe. I don't know. Are you going to tell my father?"

"Rivky, your father is going to prison for what he did to you and your sisters. You don't have to worry about what he thinks anymore. And you wouldn't have to worry about whoever attacked you anymore if you'd just tell us who it was."

Rivky considered this. "You can promise that he won't get to me?"

"I swear to it. We can protect you."

"Okay."

"So who was it, Rivky?"

"It was Jason. It was Jason Harroway."


	12. Jealousy

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

Elliot rolled over in bed as his phone rang. He groaned and groped around for it, noting the time on the alarm clock as he did. It was 2:13 in the morning.

"Stabler," he said hoarsely.

"Elliot," the voice of his faithful partner sounded strange over the phone. "They got Jason Harroway. He's going to be charged with raping Rivky."

"Okay, good," said Elliot. "And Kohler's going to jail. And Rivky gets to stay with her sister…so it's all okay, then?"

"Not totally," said Olivia. "There's something else…Bethany Crawford was shot earlier and died."

"Who's Bethany Crawford?"

"Rivky's girlfriend. She failed to mention that she's a lesbian."

Elliot couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "Rivky's what?"

"She's a lesbian. After Bethany was shot she told us that the two of them had been dating ever since she and Jason broke up."

"So who did it?"

"Turns out that it was Jason. Homicide was already working on it and the ballistics tied the weapon back to Jason the day before we found out he and Rivky had dated…it's just crazy."

"Okay, I'm going to run all this through again. There's an Orthodox Jewish girl who was raped in the classroom of her school. We thought it was her dad who has been horribly abusing her and her sisters, but it wasn't. We find out it's her ex-boyfriend. Now her _girlfriend _has been killed? And it was her ex-boyfriend who did it out of jealousy? I got all that right?"

"Yes," said Olivia. "Look, it's weird to me, too. A fourteen-year-old girl who already knows she's a lesbian, that can't be easy."

"But a fourteen-year-old girl who's as religious as she is…"

"I know, El, I know. Look…I'm not going to be able to go in for the next few days. I'm sick as a dog…you need to take over."

"What's wrong?"

"I think I have the flu or something. I'm running a temperature and I'm throwing up left and right. You'll work with Munch and Fin, whoever's available. I'll be okay."

"You need anything?"

"No. Go back to sleep. I'll see you around."

Elliot hung up and rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. This case was bizarre, more bizarre than most of the one's he'd ever worked. His heart went out to Rivky. The poor kid was probably so confused about men that she found women to be her only comfort…which made sense, considering that the only kindness she'd ever really received was from the women in her life. He hoped she could find happiness by whatever means.


	13. Stronger

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

As Elliot, Munch, and Fin watched Jason Harroway being filed out of the courtroom after being found guilty for raping Rivky and murdering Bethany, they turned to each other.

"Sick," Fin muttered. "Seventeen years old and already raping and murdering. They're getting younger and younger, aren't they?"

"At least Rivky's okay," said Elliot. "She's getting counseling."

"How's Olivia?" asked Munch.

"She's fine."

"Detective?"

All three turned to see Devorah, Rivky, and Zipporah standing there, holding hands. The sight of them together looked like the Three Graces. Rivky had spoken.

"I just wanted to tell you…we're going to move away. I don't know where, but we're leaving. We're going to start over. But…thank you for everything," Rivky continued, tears spilling down her face.

"Can we talk for a second, Rivky?" asked Elliot softly, gesturing her over to a more private corner of the courtroom.

Rivky followed him over. Elliot reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper with a list of phone numbers and addresses.

"These are hotlines and support groups for victims of rape, hate crimes, people who are grieving, and gay and lesbian teenagers," Elliot explained. "You should really check them out. They can help you."

"Thank you," said Rivky.

Elliot gave Rivky a big hug. "And I put my number on there, too. Let me know how you're doing, okay?"

"I will. Thank you so much."

Elliot rejoined the group. He hugged Zippy and Devorah, shook Devorah's husband's hand, and gave Rivky one last embrace before saying good-bye for good. Zippy turned around and waved before walking out the door. The detectives waved back.

Elliot looked at Munch. "How are you doing?"

"Fine."

"Look, John, I know something like this shakes your faith, no matter what you say. You know, the father, the hate crime…you say you're not so religious but it's part of you. It's got to be suffering a little."

"No," said Munch, watching the girls disappear. "If anything, it's stronger now."

With that, the men left the courtroom to head back to the precinct, ready to face whatever else came their way.


End file.
